Pre-Conference Field Trips: December 7, 2017

Upon the request of some participants, the Summit committee is pleased to organize and provide the following field trips, which are expected to offer great learning experiences and discussion highlights for Summit participants from a tourism and community development perspective.

Morning trip to Lake Nona, Orlando, Florida - A Model of Smart and Health City

Looking for the best model for a smart city, health city, or a 21st century prototype community with cutting-edge technology and healthy living styles? You can find all these in one community – Lake Nona! Lake Nona is a 7,000-acre (28 km2) mixed-use planned community within the city limits of Orlando, southeast of Orlando International Airport. Being developed by Lake Nona Property Holdings, the Lake Nona Region is home to Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, a life sciences cluster becoming known as Lake Nona's medical city, and an array of retail centers, recreational facilities and residential options.

Lake Nona Medical City is considered a biomedical research and educational hub since it includes the University of Central Florida College of Nursing, College of Medicine and College of Dental Medicine, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, the Orlando Veterans Administration Medical Center, Nemours Children’s Hospital, and a University of Florida Academic and Research Center. It is considered a model for smart cities and homes in the future as America’s first gigabit city. It is also the new home for the headquarters of United States Tennis Association, a state-of-the-art facility with 100 professional tennis courts.

Afternoon and evening outing at Disney Springs - A model for tourism resort complex development

As a resort destination complex, how can you maximize revenue without even selling tickets? You will find answers after visiting Disney Springs! Disney Springs is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. The complex opened on March 22, 1975, and has been expanded and renamed at other times over the years, until 2013, when plans were announced for a three-year renovation and expansion of the complex, and on September 29, 2015, the name officially changed to Disney Springs.

The complex includes four distinct areas: Marketplace, The Landing, Town Center, and West Side. The Marketplace houses many shops and restaurants reminiscent of the American Craftsman-style of the 1930s. The Landing depicts the fictional town's transportation hub and marina, and features nautical-themed restaurants and shops, including Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar—an aviation-themed dive bar based on the character from the Indiana Jones films—and The Boathouse, which serves as the port for the amphibious automobiles that offer cruises of Lake Buena Vista. Town Center depicts the fictional town's central business district, featuring Spanish Revival architecture from the 1920s. The area debuted in 2016, having been built on former surface parking lots, and features many well-known retailers. West Side depicts the town's exposition center, having been developed in the 1950s, according to the town's fictional history and has now been renamed AMC Disney Springs 24.